World time clock



Jun. 24, 1939. v. o. JAco s v 2,144,922.

WORLD TIME CLOCK Filed May 9. 1936 v In yen for Vidzlzy 0. Ja c'obn' Patented J... 24, 1.939

UNITED STATES PATENT onion 1 rit-7723M I I Viding 0. Jacobs, Chicago, Ill. Application May 9, 1936, Serial No. 18,873

cating the time of day or night at any point throughout the world. An important object of my invention is the provision of a clock capable of indicating the' hour, minute and second of time in all the principal world time zones.

A further object of my invention is the provision of 'a simple means of knowing the time of day or night at any point in the world without the necessity of computing the same.

The further important object of my invention is the provision of a timepiece which shows the time at any point in the world at a single glance.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a flat, thin time indicating apparatus suitable for mantles, radios, airplanes and automobiles.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a timepiece capable of indicating world time and the further provision of a means to emphasize the time in any zone by directing light upon the particular time zone or zones of ir'iterest.

Other and still further objects of my invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the mpanying drawing and specification. l The invention in preferred form is illustrated in the drawing and herein furthermore fully described.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the clock.

In the upper left portion of said figure, the glass is broken to show themap bearing face of the clock. The minuteand second-hands are shown in elevation. In this figure the face is also broken to show the geared-edged hour indicating discs. At the right of Figure 1, one hour indicating disc is broken to show one of the light directing discs which are mounted immediately behind the hour indicating discs, and the gears which rotate them.

. Figure2 is a sectional view taken on the line- 2--2 of Figure 1 showing in detail the glass face, the minute-hand, seccnd-handand shafts bearing the same, and the map bearing face of the clock. An hour indicating disc and a light directing disc appear in the background. Also .shown in section is the segmented two-toothed of a section of the gear mechanism taken on the, line 3-4 of Figure 2, the hour numerals being omitted. This figure shows the inter-relation of the segmented drive gear, the four and eight toothed gears and the geared-edged hour indi- 5 cating discs. Figure 4 is a fragmentary front X elevational view of a portion of the clock face,

showing the map and meridians thereon and particularly one .of the pair of identical semi-. annular apertures in the clock face.

I As shown on the drawing:

The reference numeral l indicates a spring or electric motor driven clockwork mechanism which furnishes the power for the said clock and regulates the same. The clockwork is to have standard setting, regulating and alarm mechanisms.

Connected to said clockwork mechanism and so regulated as to make one complete clockwise revolution every sixty minutes is a hollow shaft 2, which carries, immediately outside the clockwork casing, the two toothed segmented gear 20, and at its outer portion, the minute-hand 2c.

Shaft I is connected to the clockwork mechanism and is so regulated as to make one complete clockwise revolution every sixty seconds. It passes longitudinally through the hollowed center of shaft 2, being smaller in diameter and longer than said shaft, and carries, at its extreme outward portion, the second-hand 3a. 3O Being fixedly mounted on shaft 2, the segmented gear 2a turns clockwise once every hour. Every time a complete revolution of said gear is accomplished, the two teeth 2b on said segmented gear, come into contact with the teeth on the four-toothed gear I, rotating the gear and the shaft 4a, to which it is fixedly mounted, and eight-toothed gear 5, one half of a complete revolution, counter-clockwise. Shaft la is not otherwise connected to the clockwork mechanism than through the gear system described above. Suitable. bushings or bearings may be used on the ends of said shaft.

The eight tcothed gear 5 is interposed between and meshed with two geared-edged rotating cir cular hour indicating discs 6. Each disc has ninety-six teeth on its periphery, four teeth to each hour portion, These discs are rotatably mounted on axles 60-. Near their outer-rims-said geared hour indicating discs each have two sets of numerals, twenty-four in all, running-numerically counter-clockwise from 1-" to 12, equally spaced around the periphery of said discs. The numerals maybe mounted on translucent material or the material surrounding them may be cut away so that they will-show distinctly when light is directed upon them as later herein set forth.

The gear ratio of eight toothed gear and the geared-edged hourindicating discs is 1 to 12. Every half revolution of shaft 4a rotates gear 5 four teeth in a counter-clockwise direction rotating discs 6 four teeth in a clockwise direction.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, axially mounted behind hour indicating discs 5 are toothed circular discs 9 in which is a translucent aperture 9a, said aperture being the width of one hour portion in disc6. The discs 9 and apertures 9a serve the purpose 'of directing light, furnished by. bulbs l4 only one of which is-shown, the other bulb being in the same relative position on the left, as is bulb l4 indicated in Figure 1, upon the hour on any desired time meridian.

The disc 9 is rotated by turning knob l2a, which is fixedly connected to shaft I2. Gear II is fixedly connected to shaft l2, rotating as the knob 12a. is turned. Gear iimeshes with gear in, which in turn meshes with the teeth on the "outer periphery of disc 9, allowing rotating mo tion both clockwise and counter-clockwise.

Shaft l2, by means of knob l2a, may be pulled out or pushed in, making contact through electric switch l3, with a source of electric current, which lights bulbs I4. Gear H is relatively wider than gear In, such that it remains meshed with said gear l0 when knob I'Za and shaft H are pulled out to operate the switch I3.

The face of said clock, indicated by numeral l, consists of a flat oval surface, on which is imposed a circular map of North and South America, and a small section of Asia, on one-half thereof, and a circular map of Europe, Africa, Australia and the remainder of Asia, on the other section by numeral lb, are the principal time meridian 'tures 'lc. In assembling the clock, the: time indicatinglines. The spaces between these meri-dian lines are widened at the lower sections thereof as they coincide with the hour-markings on hour indicating discs 6. 1

The clock face I is cut by two semi-annular apertures 10, extending from a point half way down the'map section on either side of said face,

exposing the numerals on the lower halves of hour indicating discs 6. Twelve hour numerals are thus exposed on each half of said clock, twenty-four in all being in view, representing the twenty-four hours of time extant throughout the world.

Mounted at a slight angle, as regards the clock face I is an oval rim Id 'on which are imposed the minute numerals 16. The entire clock face is covered by a transparent glass ll.

Looking at the clock from the front through the glass 8, the two circular maps la, the meridian 1 In preferred form the numerals 6b on disc 6 are -colored.black and white, white representing daytime, black representing night. Twelve white numerals and twelve black numerals are, therefore, always visible through semi-annular aperdiscs 6 must be so aligned in relation to gear 5 that the white daytime numerals Sb on one disc visible on the other side through the other semiannular aperture Ic.

The entire mechanism is to be so constructed that the setting mechanism of the clockwork mechanism will rotate the hourindicating discs 6 and the minute hand 2c.

In operation the clock is set to indicate the proper time and the clockwork and mechanism is started. The second-hand rotates once each minute. The minute-hand makes one complete revolution every sixty minutes. When one-complete revolution of the minute-hand has been accomplished the segmented gear 21]. comes into contact with four-toothed gear 4, the teeth 21) rotating gear 4 one-half of a revolution. Gears 4 and 5 being fixedly mounted on the same shaft 411., a half revolution ,of'the shaft imparts a half -revolution or' a movement of four teeth to gear 5. Gear 5 being meshed with the teeth'on the periphery of hour indicating discs 6, said ,discs are rotated four teeth in a clockwise direction. The rotation thus imparted to the discs thus bring another hour numeral directly beneath the outspread ends of the time meridians 1b, indicating one hour later *time in each time meridian.

Hour numerals 6b may be stamped out of discs 6 or may be mounted on translucent material so that the light passing throughapertures 9a. in light directing discs 9 will emphasize any desired hour in any meridian appearing through semiannular clock-face apertures 10.

It will be seen from the above disclosure that I have invented a timepiece capable of indicating time throughout the world. While I. have described and illustrated my time clock in considerable detail, I do notwish to be limited to the exact construction disclosed herein other than is necessitated by the prior art.

7 Having thus described my invention; I claim: approach the semi-annular apertures 10, (described hereinafter) so that the lines thus formed 1, In a clock, the combination of a glass covered face, world maps and time meridians imposed ,upon said face, minuteand second-hands rotating in front of said face, semi-annular apertures formed therein a pair of semi-annular apertures,

a map on'said clock face, meridian lines on said map, said hour indicating discs rotating beneath the map and meridian lines, said hour indicating discs bearing hour numerals visible through the semi-annular apertures in said clock face exposing said hour numerals in registry with the spaces between said meridians.

3. In a time indicating apparatus, the combination of a'clockwork mechanism, minuteand second-hands attached thereto and operated thereby,- a flat clock face having a pair of spaced apart-semi-annular apertures therein, maps on said'clockface, a plurality of time meridians indicated on said maps and a pair of hour indicating discs mounted and rotatinghourly clockwise beneath said time meridians and visiblethrough the semi-annular apertures in said clock adapted to relatively and progressively control the relative position of the minuteand secondhands and hour indicating discs relative to the face of said clock and time meridians thereon.

5. In a timepiece the combination of a clockwork mechanism: an ovalescent clock face having ing there'at, thereby indicating the hour in each.

'tion of a face having a pair of identical semi-annular apertures therein, minute numerals on the periphery of said face, a plurality of meridian-lined maps imposed on said face, minuteand second-hands rotated by said clockwork mechanism in spaced relation to said face and numerals thereon, and adapted to indicate-the minute and second of the hour, hour indicating discs rotating behind said map faces and clockwork operated means adapted to progressively regulate the relative positions of said hour indicating discs visible through the apertures. in said clock face once each 'hour in relation to said meridian lines on said maps.

6. In a timepiece the combination of an ovalescent clock face having a plurality of semi-annular apertures therein, numerals on the'perlphery of said clock face, a clockwork mechanism, a minute-hand and .a second-hand rotated clockwise thereby in relation to said numerals on the periphery of said ovalescent clock face, a plurality of substantially circular cartographic repre-' sentations of hemispheres of the earth placed side by side on said clock face, time meridians on each of said cartographic representations, the" space between said' time meridians widened to terminate in equal segments at said apertures in said clock face, a plurality of hour indicating discs rotating clockwise by-said clockwork mechanism in predetermined relation to saidapertures in said clock face and said time meridians terminatof said time meridians.

7. In a time indicating mec anism the combinaapertures therein, a plurality of circular maps and equidistant from spaced time meridian lines on said face, the space between said time'meridians terminating in equal segments at said apertures, a plurality of interconnected discs bearing hour indicating numerals and rotating behind said face, part of said numerals being exposed through the apertures in said face and adapted to fall into registry with said segments thereby indicating the time thereon and a means to direct light upon any selected hour indicating numeral appearing within said apertures. v

8. In a time indicating device the combination of a clockwork mechanism, a segmented gear rotated by said clockwork mechanism, a shaft, a first gear carried by said shaft and adapted to be rotated hourly-by said segmented gear, a second gear mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a plurality of gear edged discsiadapted to be rotated by said second gear in a clockwise direction, hour numerals on said gear-edged discs, a clock face having a plurality of semi-annular apertures therein through which the hour numerals on said discs are visible, a map and time meridians on said clock face, the spaces between said time meridians terminating in equalsegments at the apertures in said clock face, the numerals on said discs being adapted to fall into registry with the spaces between said meridians [and indicating the time thereon.

device, the combination pair of identical 9. In a time indicating of an ovalescent face having a semi-annular apertures therein, minute numerals around the periphery of said ovalescent face, a

right hemispherical maps on said' clock face,

each of said maps being in bottom registry with one of the semi-annular apertures in said clock face, meridian lines on said maps terminating one another and having equal spaces therebetween at the apertures in said clock face, a pair of hour indicating discs rotating clockwise under said clock face, hour numerals around the periphery 'of said discs and adapted to fall into registry with the spaces between said meridian lines, and means whereby said clockwork mechanism rotates said hour indicating discs hourly the distance of the space between two adjacent meridian lines in a clock-wise direction thereby g to indicate the hour thereon. a plurality of semi-annular mm o. .mcoss. r 

